I recently acquired an Epiphone Dot.It looks good and plays easy but I don't like the tone.Its too muddy.I play all blues and I would like to get a clearer sound out of it so I'm considering changing pickups.Does anyone have any suggestions as to what type to use. JL Hooker

If you're still not getting a bright enough tone (deficient treble is what I understand when I hear the term "muddy tone"), do consider swapping out the .047 uF tone cap that's probably in it for a .022. If it's got a .022, try a .01.

If you're fingerpicking with "bare meat," it's mighty hard to get a bright tone because it spreads out the picking force over a wide enough area of the string to suppress many of the higher harmonics. Try a flatpick, a thumbpick that can double as a flatpick when you pinch it with your index finger, or a set of fingerpicks. They're not only for resos and banjos, they'll REALLY brighten up your tone! And try picking in different positions to hear how different it sounds. Tone gets brighter as you pick down toward the bridge, but it can sound thin and tinny if you overdo it, and you'll really hear any tuning errors down by the bridge!

Look at your amp and speaker(s). Much more potential tonal influence there than in the guitar!

If all that brings no joy (I think you'll find something you like if you try those things), start shopping for pickups! Stay away from high gain sorts and look at the vintage varieties of lower output if you want bright, clean tones.

Hey Rico, I am just beginning to tinker with my Gretsch Junior Jet. I like the Gretschbucker and its 12 adjustable polepieces.

Your tonecap advice is interesting. I am a total novice when it comes to electronics, but from reading some threads about amp mods on the new Fender Champion 600 and Gretsch 5222 tube amps where (if I recall correctly) tone caps are removed entirely to brighten the tone and make the amp louder - I was wondering if tone caps are necessary at all on guitars?

Some people who want a very bright tone all the time disconnect their tone pot, or put in a switch to cut it out at will. I'd thought that if I built a lap steel I wouldn't put one in, but I'm realizing that tone controls are very useful at times. Especially since I put in a "bright cap" in my Valve Junior that bypasses a little too much treble. It's simple to turn down the tone knob on the guitar a bit to fix it. If you've blown out your ears with loud music, you'll never hear too much treble and will seek for more, but your listeners who still have pretty good ears won't thank you for jamming ice picks in them constantly. (I need to go back and make that VJ bright cap smaller, or take it back out.)

I have one as well.I'd start with replacing the volume and tone pots. I put an RS Guitarworks kit in mine; you could do much the same for less money though...I ended up replacing the pickups as well. Initially I had Duncan Antiquities, but I swapped 'em for a set of Seth Lover pickups. No mud there at all.(also installed TonePros and Schaller tuners; its a GREAT guitar now)